Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year
19 December 2011
In this last EM&T newsletter of 2011 I’d like to wish all our readers and their families a merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from all the EM&T team.
For the industry, it seems to have been a challenging year with the global economic crisis dragging on. But on the whole I think the signs have been encouraging, especially if the Euro can be stabilised quickly.
Uncertainty is the worst possible state for financial markets, and it is almost impossible to plan too far ahead in the current climate.
Last week, AFDEC published its predictions for next year, but with the premise that the figures were only relevant for a stable Eurozone. The group, which is responsible for authorised distributors, predicts that markets will decline further in the first half of the year and then pick up in the second half. The main reason given for these trends is overstocking of components.
Due to events in Japan and Thailand this year, many electronics manufactures bought more stock than required for immediate use, fearing that supply would be affected more. Those fears were mostly unfounded as the supply chain seemed to hold out better than everyone expected. While not so good news for component manufacturers and distributors, the figures should read better for electronics manufacturers who have the orders to burn off excess stock.
On a personal level it has been a really exciting introduction to the manufacture and test market for me. I’ve met some really interesting and knowledgeable people, seen some great new products and even had the opportunity to see manufacturing lines in operation at ITL and Raytheon. I am really looking forward to getting out and about more next year to more exhibitions and workplaces.
Next year looks to be a really busy one for EM&T. The year will kick off with two of the biggest electronics exhibitions in the UK, Southern Manufacturing and Electronics, and National Electronics Week. My plans include attending both exhibitions to talk to as many people as I can in the industry.
It will also be an exciting year for EM&T. Now that I‘ve settled in I will be working with the rest of the team here to make some positive changes to both the magazine and www.emtworldwide.com. I can’t say too much at the moment, but watch this space.
Finally I’d like to thank all our readers and advertisers for your continued support over this year. EM&T couldn’t survive without your patronage.
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